The First Lesson
by Whisperwill
Summary: Obi-Wan's first experience in teaching his Padawan isn't exactly what the young Jedi Knight expected.  One shot.


**Disclaimer: Although I love _Star Wars_, that doesn't mean I don't own _Star Wars_. Although I'm a fan of money, that doesn't mean I'm making money off this story.**

**A/N: Originally finished on October 7, 2009. Review once you read?**

**The First Lesson**

Somehow, when Obi-Wan Kenobi was a young apprentice with dreams of having his own Padawan, he had not pictured his first teaching experience to be one such as this. In his mind, he had envisioned instructing his apprentice how to move quickly and silently, or how to hold a lightsaber, or how to reach out to the Force. The thought had never occurred to him that his Padawan might not be able to swim.

So here he was by the artificial lake in the Temple, stripping off his Jedi robes and boots while Anakin looked on apprehensively. The boy had a peculiar uneasiness around water, one which Obi-Wan had noticed not long after he'd brought Anakin to the Temple. His Padawan had gawked at each new room that Obi-Wan had led him through, marveling at them all and pumping his new Master with questions about every detail. It was when they had reached the changing rooms that Anakin's enthusiasm had changed to incredulity.

"You wash with _water_, every _day_?" he'd repeated in disbelief after Obi-Wan had explained to him how to use the heating spray and cooling spray.

"Indeed, we do," Kenobi had replied. "Now, hurry up and shower, and I'll show you the rest of the rooms."

"You mean, use the water to wash my body?" Anakin had asked slowly, as though the concept had not yet reached his mind.

"That's exactly what I mean," Obi-Wan had confirmed.

"Are you sure?" Anakin had voiced his doubt. "I'm not really that dirty. . ."

"Quite sure," Obi-Wan had assured him. "I refuse to be flanked by a Padawan who looks more like a desert rat than a Jedi student." He had left his apprentice to his own devices then. The last thing he had seen as he exited the room was Anakin activating the cooling spray and recoiling as a stray drop hit his skin.

After Anakin had cleaned himself up, Obi-Wan had walked him down a nearby hall.

"And this is the lake," he had said by way of introduction.

"Wizard!" Anakin had exclaimed, briefly confusing Obi-Wan with the strange interjection. "There's so much water!"

"It's not a natural lake," Obi-Wan had proceeded to explain. "The whole thing is artificial, with ducts and pipelines to provide water and off-planet sand for the beaches. Even the sun isn't real—it is created by hidden illumination banks above. The Jedi come here to sit on the banks or swim in the water."

"Swim?" Anakin was the only boy Obi-Wan had ever heard who could put trepidation behind that word. Obi-Wan had turned to him in some surprise.

"Anakin, can you swim?" he had asked frankly. The boy had met his eyes contritely, as if apologizing for his lack of ability.

"No, Master Obi-Wan," his Padawan had admitted.

So here he was by the artificial lake in the Temple, stripping off his Jedi robes and boots while Anakin looked on apprehensively.

"Come on, Padawan, get those boots off," he called briskly. His apprentice sank down onto the grass and began tugging reluctantly at his boot.

"Do all Jedi have to learn to swim?" he asked while inching his foot slowly out of the boot.

"Yes, they most certainly do have to learn to swim," Obi-Wan replied dryly; he couldn't imagine a Jedi Padawan going on missions without having been equipped with such a basic skill.

"And to run, and climb, and jump, as well as a host of other things."

"Can't I learn any of those things first?" Anakin pleaded hopefully.

"No, you may not," Obi-Wan answered flatly. His apprentice got the message and hurriedly yanked off his second boot. Obi-Wan walked down the sloping bank into the water, wading in until he was chest-deep. He heard Anakin's footsteps brushing softly against the grass behind him, and then the hiss as his Padawan's feet dragged through the sand close to shore. Then silence as the boy stopped short.

He turned and raised an eyebrow at his apprentice. Anakin worried his lower lip between his teeth and crept forward until the water reached his ankles.

"Come on," Obi-Wan urged him. "Are you afraid of the water?"

"It's cold," Anakin complained, avoiding the question.

"Believe me, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, his voice bordering on impatience, "if you want to be a Jedi, you'll have to swim in much colder places than this."

Anakin seemed to receive a burst of confidence when he heard the word _Jedi_. He raced suddenly forward with a splash and kept going until the water was up to his neck.

"All right, Master Obi-Wan, what's next?" he asked with forced nonchalance. His eyes were huge in his tanned face, and Obi-Wan was certain that his apprentice's shivering had more to do with fright than with the cold.

"The most basic form of swimming is the front stroke," he began. "You reach forward with one arm after another and kick your feet like this." He moved out into deeper water and swam a little ways to demonstrate. "Then there's the reverse stroke. . ."

Over the next ten minutes, Obi-Wan proceeded to show his apprentice the several different swimming strokes, as well as two ways to float, and how to tread water. But demonstration could only get him so far, and when Obi-Wan paddled into the shallows after his exemplification, he knew that it was time for Anakin to put his mettle to the test.

"All right, Anakin," he announced. "It's your turn." His Padawan took a deep—and slightly unsteady—breath of resignation.

"What am I supposed to do, Master Obi-Wan?" he asked.

"Let's start with the front stroke," Obi-Wan decided. "Swim across in front of me." Anakin screwed up his face and launched himself forward so suddenly that it took Obi-Wan by surprise. Unfortunately, his Padawan was far from succeeding in the stroke, to say nothing of swimming in general. Anakin's head was above water for all of two seconds before he sank like a stone. He stood up, gasped in a breath and tried again. After sinking once more, he threw himself onto his stomach to try a third time. It didn't take a Master to see that Anakin was desperate to prove himself. When he sank again and came up coughing, Obi-Wan stopped him from making another attempt. This was getting them nowhere.

"Anakin, you're struggling against the water," he explained to his apprentice. "It can help you, if you let it." He swam forward, sliding through the water easily, then flipped onto his back and kicked while letting his arms trail passively. "Once you know how to move through the water, the water helps to keep you afloat." He put his feet down on the bottom again and waited for Anakin to copy him. And Anakin tried again, four times, and failed again, four times. Obi-Wan found it nearly impossible to curb his impatience. This technique was not a hard one to grasp, yet Anakin looked like a clumsy youngling in the water. Why, most Padawans were already well on their way to mastering lightsabers by now!

"You're expending too much energy, Anakin. Swimming isn't a battle; it's a movement, a technique." His Padawan was staring at him as if he couldn't understand what Obi-Wan was trying to say, but the last thing Obi-Wan wanted just now was to go into a long explanation. He gestured at the water and ordered, "Try again." Anakin sighed and pushed off to begin his inept paddling. Obi-Wan took him by the arm and pulled him to his feet before he could get very far. "You're doing it wrong." He wasn't able to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"But, Master Obi-Wan, it's so _hard_!" Anakin blurted out. He looked up at his Master. It was as if Obi-Wan were seeing him in a new light. Suddenly he noticed Anakin's face, pale with fear; his sides, heaving with exhaustion; his eyes, shaded with discouragement. Anakin wanted so badly to do well, and make his Master proud. Had it been so long since Obi-Wan had felt like that? Seeing Anakin brought the memory back—his burning wish to make himself worthy of Qui-Gon's expectations. Qui-Gon Jinn had not been one to express his approval readily. But there were those coveted moments . . . his Master would smile at him and murmur, "Excellent, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan was a failure as a Master. Wasn't Anakin looking at him just as he had looked to Qui-Gon so many years ago? He wanted praise, and all Obi-Wan was giving him was censure.

But one thing Obi-Wan had learned from the Jedi, that the relationship between a Master and a Padawan ran deep. There were hidden reserves of strength in its depths. If a Padawan hurt his Master in the heedlessness of youthful thought, there was always a way to make things right between them. And if a Master hurt his Padawan by abusing his position as guide and instructor, there was always forgiveness to be found in a Padawan's heart.

"Anakin . . ." Obi-Wan began awkwardly. When he couldn't think of what to say, he took his Padawan's hands instead. He moved Anakin's arms through the water in the correct method for the front stroke. "Do it like this. Keep your fingers together. As one arm enters the water in front of you, the opposite arm leaves the water behind you and comes around again. Over and over, always the same." He gave Anakin what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Now try it one more time." Anakin bit his lip, struck out, and began to sink. But this time Obi-Wan put his hands under Anakin's stomach to hold him up.

"Keep stroking, now, and don't forget to kick your feet." His apprentice was performing with ridiculous, fevered speed, as if by swimming faster he could swim better. "Slowly, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him. "You'll use up all your strength in a heartbeat, swimming like that." As the boy slowed, Obi-Wan surveyed his stroke. Anakin still couldn't buoy himself up without his Master's assistance, and his movements were choppy, but he was definitely improving. Obi-Wan also noticed that Anakin was looking quite fatigued. He hadn't realized how tiring a swimming lesson would be for his Padawan.

"I think that's enough for today, Anakin," he said.

"No, Master," Anakin puffed. "Just a little longer. Please?" Determination made his Padawan's face taut. So, although Anakin didn't enjoy swimming in the least, he wanted to keep going, to learn this new technique. To make his Master proud.

"All right, then," Obi-Wan conceded. He was pleased. In spite of the way the lesson had started, it was turning out better than he ever could have expected. "We'll practice regulating breathing—you exhale underwater and turn your head to take a breath every other stroke. Do you think you can do that?"

Anakin's reply was an enthusiastic "Yeah!"

***The End***


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